DOT wants to require safer Bakken-carrying rail cars.

The American Petroleum Institute (API) isn't too happy with the Department of Transportation's just-published proposed rule aimed at upgrading the railroad cars carrying Bakken crude oil to the rest of the country. The premise for the proposed rule issued by the DOT's Federal Railroad Administration is that crude oil from the Bakken region in North Dakota tends to be more volatile and flammable than other crude oils.

In a statement, API President and CEO Jack Gerard countered: "The best science and data do not support recent speculation that crude oil from the Bakken presents greater than normal transportation risks. Multiple studies have shown that Bakken crude is similar to other crudes. DOT needs to get this right and make sure that its regulations are grounded in facts and sound science, not speculation."

The data on Bakken crude was collected as part of Operation Classification, a joint Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and FRA effort. The data were initially gathered to verify that crude oil was being...